Anarchism in the Face of Climate Catastrophe

Withe the latest trade agreement to be forced on us, TPP, this time by Obama reinforces the idea that capitalism is entering its most dangerous phase.

For my readers who are used to me writing about pain issues, this post may, on the surface, seem like a non sequitir. I can understand that reaction but hope you will continue to read this in spite of that.

I have over the past few years begun to think of pain in a far more inclusive definition. World climate change has already spread death and destruction among those nations least able to defend themselves, most especially those on the Pacific Rim. They are more often the victims of horrible weather events that kill hundreds of thousands than the rest of us in “safer” geographic locations.

It is apparent that we are in the end stages of capitalist hegemony. But with all hegemons this one will not go quietly. This economic behemoth gouges out resources from both the earth and from workers. That its goal, and underlying driving impetus, is constant exploitation of both human and natural resources, is ever constant expansion it’s easy to see, that with finite resources, this form of economic activity is on its last legs while polluting the very planet it has to exploit. This is the cornerstone of climate change.

Capitalism has to be crushed or we will be crushed, and our time is rapidly running out.

The best solution is local. Local production, labor and resources that are not the only necessities. Global capitalism is killing the very earth it depends on to survive, an economic engine that eats its own. If food and other necessities are locally produced with an eye towards sustainability of the locale in which people live, the chances of not overwhelming our resources takes a giant leap forward.

Since this is a brief post, I’ll get to my point. Anarcho-syndicalism seems the best arrangement to bring local production and consumption into line with sustainability. Without sustainability, we have little to offer our children, grand and great grand children.

I will have more to say about this in coming posts. I suggest that readers of this go onto Wikipedia to read about the various strains of anarchy. I’m not talking about smashing windows of banks and Wall St robbers, though I don’t condemn those who do, but local arrangements of individual freedom that advance local initiatives to produce and protect the environment we have left to us.